Escape From Plutopia
by Teyah
Summary: Long believed to be dead, Torque, Throttle's twin sister and Modo's wife, escapes with Harley from Plutark's infamous Plutopia moon, where they have been enslaved since the Plutarkian war.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the biker mice from mars nor do I make any money off of this story. It is purely for entertainment only.

"I don't see why we have to stay here on this miserable waste moon to baby-sit these vermin." the Plutarkian soldier snarled to his partner. "If you ask me, they should finish them off like they did the ones on mars."

"I know, but look at the bright side," his partner replied, "at least we get to have a little fun while we're here." He then pointed to a squatter settlement of Martian mice villages. "Let's go scare the wits out of 'em!" The two soldiers then drew their high powered laser weapons and ran toward the settlement.

An elderly Martian male saw the two soldiers racing toward the village. He knew all too well what they wanted. Plutarkian soldiers regularly terrorized Martian villages on this moon, which orbited Plutark. In the past, the moon had been the playground paradise of wealthy Plutarkians, who dubbed it Plutopia. It was once home to lush vegetation and pristine beaches. However, the wasteful Plutarkians had allowed it to become overly polluted. Once it had become a desolate wasteland undesirable for vacations, the Plutarkians abandoned it. They then began to use it as a toxic waste dump and the site of dangerous industrial activities.

When Plutark invaded mars, many Martians were kidnapped from their home planet and sent to Plutopia. Some were captured and sold into slavery by rats and sand raiders. Others were sold by other martians, including family members. This system proved beneficial to the Plutarkians, who needed a labor force to produce their weapons, space ships, digging machines, and steel. Captured Martian mice were forced to work in these factories against their will, producing the very weapons that were destroying their homeland.

The elderly male hurried back into the village. "The Plutarkians are coming!" he shouted.

It was approximately midday, and most Martians were away from the village, working in the industrial factories. Those who couldn't work, mainly the elderly and the sick, were left behind. The conditions in the villages were far from ideal. The Plutarkian government failed to provide the Martians with decent housing, food, or clothing. Many Martians died of starvation, disease, and exhaustion.

"Oh no!" a Martian female named Torque exclaimed upon hearing the elderly mouse's warning. "The one day I stay out of work, the Plutarkians come." "Typical," she said as she slapped her hand against her forehead.

"Torque, where are you?" another Martian female named Harley asked weakly.

Torque rushed toward the back of the small, dimly lit shack that she shared with Harley. Harley was severely ill and was laying on a cot on the floor. She had a fever and was weak. Torque refused to leave her to go to work.

"I'm right here Harley." she answered her friend. "What's wrong, do you need anything?"

Just before Harley could answer her, the Plutarkian soldiers made their way into the room.

"A-ha!" one of the soldiers exclaimed. "See, I told you that we were bound to find some lazy Martians trying to play hooky from work."

"We're not trying to play hooky from anything." Torque replied. "My friend is sick and I couldn't leave her here by herself."

"That's no excuse." the second soldier informed her. "The needs of the Plutarkian empire come first."

"I could care less about the needs of the Plutarkian empire because the Plutarkian empire could care less about the needs of me or the other Martians on this toxic moon."

"It's the Plutarkian empire's fault that most of us Martians are dead."

"Well, I see we've got a wise one." the first soldier quipped. "I guess we'll see how smart your mouth is when we take you and your pal there in custody."

"Yeah, well, I don't think that will happen today." Torque said coolly. "Because," she said just before she punched the first guard in the face, knocking him head-first on the floor, "jail is not a place we want to be right now." The hard concrete floor as well as the force of Torque's blow rendered the soldier unconscious.

"Why you…!" The second guard said as he charged toward Torque but she kicked him in the stomach before he could grab her. She then grabbed his gun out of his hands. "Any objections soldier?" she asked as she pointed the gun in his face.

"Harley, quick, grab the other one's gun before he wakes up!" Torque ordered. Harley, using what little strength she had, rushed over and took the other soldier's gun. "Now give me your keys Plutarkian!" she demanded.

"What do you need with my keys?" he asked.

"It's none of your concern, give them to me!" she yelled. "Tell me or I'll shoot and don't think I won't!"

"Here!" the soldier said as he threw the keys at her. "Thanks." she said. She then walked over and punched him in the face. The soldier fell backward and hit the concrete floor.

"They won't stay out long, we've got to get out of here!" Torque exclaimed.


	2. Chapter 2

"You incompetent fools!" Mace screamed at the two Plutarkian guards once they had arrived back at the Plutopia military base. "How could let them escape you!"

For his role in helping the Plutarkians defeat the freedom fighters on mars, Mace had been promoted to the head of military operations on Plutopia. He also was rewarded with a large sum of money from the Plutarkian government, which allowed him to enjoy a comfortable life on a second Plutarkian moon, known as Plutopia II. This moon was part of an experiment set up by the Plutarkian government. After the ruination of the first Plutopia, Plutarkian scientists began to plant large amounts of vegetation, which were often pilfered from other planets, on the former uninhabited moon. Massive amounts of soil and water were used to support their project. The end result was a paradise planet that was a popular resort destination among Plutarkians as well as interplanetary criminals and space travelers.

"You don't understand boss!" one of the soldiers exclaimed. "They outsmarted us!"

"Obviously." Mace said flatly. "Did you have your utility belt cameras on when they 'outsmarted' you?" Mace asked.

"Uh…yeah." the second soldier stammered.

"Good." Mace said with a smirk. "We shall soon identify our Thelma and Louise."

The soldiers each detached a small camera from their utility belts. They then handed them to Mace. Mace then extracted a small computer chip from both cameras. He called for one of his assistants and instructed him to load the chips onto a special decoding program that was attached to the base's central computer. A few minutes later, the assistant returned with a color photo of Harley and Torque.

"Well, well, well." Mace said as he looked at the picture. "If it isn't my old friend Harley."

"One of the first mice I sold into labor on this moon."

Mace glanced at Torque. "Hmmm…she looks familiar." he said as he made a mental note of her physical features. "That fur color, those eyes…"

Mace then recalled a tattered picture of a young Martian female he had seen while he was infiltrating the freedom fighters headquarters during the Plutarkian war. It was attached to a file of deceased freedom fighters that he had to file one day. Intrigued by the photograph, he read the file attached to it. He learned from the file that the young female was connected to two of the key members of the freedom fighters. It turned out that she was the fraternal twin of Throttle and the wife of Modo. According to the file, she was killed while patrolling a Martian village. The file stated that she died in an explosion created by rats who were working for the Plutarkians. The Plutarkians had employed the rats to destroy Martian villages so that the Plutarkians could seize their land. Mace knew that the rats also went through villages after explosions, searching for survivors to sell into slavery. Apparently, Torque had been one of those survivors. The file had also stated that no body had ever been recovered from the explosion site.

Mace grinned slyly. He then turned to face his two subordinate officers.

"Were you two smart enough to activate the GPS on your vehicle?" he asked them.

"Yeah." they both answered.

"Then don't just stand there!" he yelled. "Go down to the control room and track them, they couldn't have gotten far."

"Yes sir!" both of the soldiers said as they rushed out of the room.

Mace then crumpled up the picture and threw it on the floor. "Now I'll be able to get my ultimate revenge on the Biker Mice." he said as he laughed wickedly.


	3. Chapter 3

Torque and Harley had been traveling for several hours across the barren desert-like Plutopian interior in a dune buggy that they had confiscated from the Plutarkian guards. Along the way, they had seen remnants of the moon's former glory. Dried up ocean beds that were surrounded by crumbling resort hotels, acres of tree stumps where mighty forests once grew, and mountains that had been decapitated in order to mine metals.

Torque sighed sadly. "Boy, those Plutarkians really do a number on every place they inhabit." she said while observing the landscape.

Suddenly, the peace was shattered by the sound of laser fire. A small group of Plutarkian soldiers behind them were fast approaching.

"Great!" Torque yelled in frustration as she tried to outrun the Plutarkians.

Harley, who had been sleeping, awoke to the commotion. "Torque, what's going on?" she asked drowsily.

"Hang on Harley, I'm trying to save our tails!" Torque said as she drove the dune buggy toward a series of cliffs. She was familiar with the area, as she had worked there in a quarry that had been abandoned once it stopped producing valuable ore. An old Martian settlement was still visible at the base of the cliffs.

"Harley, I'm going to drive this dune buggy off of the cliffs here." Torque said with no visible emotion in her voice.

"What?!" Harley asked worriedly. "But we'll die!" she protested.

"Not necessarily." Torque answered. "I said that I would drive the dune buggy off the cliffs, not us along with it."

"I know for a fact that there are a series of large holes in these cliffs made by dynamite when they were being mined for iron ore." Torque explained. "They look shallow from the surface, but they actually are quite deep."

"There's one near the front of these cliffs, which is where we will be in a few minutes." she said. "At my signal, we will jump into it and let the dune buggy go off the side of the cliff."

"Those stinking fish-faces, hopefully, will think that we've gone off the side of the cliff with it."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to make it." Harley said sadly.

"Nonsense." Torque replied. "We've made it this far, we can't let those Plutarkian scumbags win." "Not this time."

As they approached the dynamite tunnel, Torque grabbed Harley's hand.

"Here goes nothing!" she yelled as they both jumped into the tunnel. The dune buggy continued on off of the cliff.

Approximately 10 minutes later, the group of Plutarkian soldiers arrived at the cliffs. They got out of their dune buggies and looked down at the bottom of the cliffs. There they saw the wrecked dune buggy.

The leader of the group immediately contacted Mace.

"Sir, the two suspects apparently drove the stolen dune buggy off a cliff located in the southern region of the moon." he said. "We can see the wreckage from the top of the cliff."

"What?!" Mace yelled. "You were unable to capture them alive?!" "And you call yourselves professionals!"

"But sir," the soldier said nervously, "it is very windy out here today and we could barely see them due to all the sand flying from behind their dune buggy."

"Well, then, I want you and your forces to retrieve any remains from the wreckage."

"But sir…" the soldier protested.

"Do it!" Mace hollered into the phone. "Or I'll have you demoted to bathroom duty on one of the stench carriers!"

"Yes sir." the soldier responded as Mace ended their conversation.

"Worthless rat." the soldier muttered. "I should have his job."

"Alright soldiers, General Mace has ordered us to retrieve any remains from the crash site." the soldier informed his fellows.

"I doubt if any remains survived that crash." another soldier said as he pointed down to the wreck, which had burst into flames. "I say that if the rat wants any remains, he should come down here and look for them himself."

"Yeah!" the other soldiers agreed.

"Say, let's get out of here and go terrorize some mice settlements." one of the soldiers volunteered.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." another responded.

The soldiers then got back on their dune buggies and left the cliffs, without searching the area for any survivors or remains.


	4. Chapter 4

"Thank goodness I always carry an extra flare with me." Torque said as she activated a flare as she and Harley made their way through the dark tunnel. "They sure do come in handy, especially since those Plutarkians have a nasty habit of keeping us Martians out of electricity most of the time."

Harley, who was growing weaker, paused for a moment to catch her breath. Torque turned around to see her gasping for air.

"Hang in there Harley." she said as she tried to comfort her friend. "We'll make it through this somehow."

"There's no use." Harley said sadly. "You know what the Plutarkians told us, that there were no Martian survivors after the Plutarkian war was over."

"They say that mars is dead, and that nothing will ever be able to live there again." Harley sighed. "What really is the point of living anymore?"

"So that we can provide free slave labor for the butchers who murdered our friends and loved ones."

Torque looked at Harley. The years of abuse at the hands of the Plutarkians had beaten her down physically and mentally. She had once held out hope that they would be freed one day, but that hope faded as time went on.

"What are we going to do now?" Harley asked tearfully. "We have nothing, no home, no family, nothing."

"All we have is this miserable existence."

Harley's lamenting was interrupted by a gruff male voice.

"Who's there!" the voice called from the shadows.

"Oh no!" Harley exclaimed. "They've found us."

The figure approached the two females slowly. The figure turned out to be a large, purple-skinned humanoid male. His head was bald and he had a large brass colored earring in one ear. He was fully dressed in armor similar to that worn by warriors of ancient Greece or Rome. His arms and legs showed numerous battle scars.

"Who are you?" Torque asked in a shaky voice.

"I am called Jupitus, and I am formerly of the planet Jupiter." he answered. "I am the last of my civilization."

"My civilization was destroyed by the Plutarkians and what survivors were left were sent to this wretched moon to work as slaves to benefit Plutarkian industry."

"I managed to escape and I roamed the galaxy for many years, working as a freelance mercenary." Jupitus explained. "I returned here to learn the fate of the rest of my kind."

"But I was too late, by the time I returned to this moon, they were all dead."

"I soon learned that they were replaced by Martians." Jupitus said. "It was then I decided to help ensure that what happened to my kind would not happen to anyone else."

"I set up camp in this abandoned mine and I helped many Martians escape from this accursed place."

"I sent many back to their home world."

"You mean, there are still Martian mice on mars?" Torque asked.

"Yes, quite a few in fact."

"Then you got to help us." Torque said. "We've escaped from the Plutarkians and we need help in getting back home."

"Say no more." Jupitus responded. "I've been able to avoid detection by the Plutarkians for all of these years because I am a shape-shifter."

"It is the result of an individual genetic mutation."

Jupitus then transformed himself to look like a Plutarkian soldier.

"Amazing!" Torque exclaimed. "You even smell like one!"

"I would steal one of their spaceships and use it to transport Martians from their villages." "If I was ever questioned, I would just say that I was taking the Martians to another Plutarkian waste moon to work when in reality I was taking them home."

"I've heard about a lot of Martians just disappearing from this planet without a trace, but I thought that they just had died, but it was you." Torque said in awe.

"Wait a minute." Harley asked. "How do you know that we can trust you?"

"For all we know, you might be a patrol officer placed out here to prevent Martians from escaping."

"Believe me, I despise the Plutarkians and anything that I can do to stop them, I will do it." Jupitus replied.

"Fortunately, I have just returned from an expedition and the spaceship is located directly behind these cliffs." Jupitus said. "Quickly, follow me."

"You think we can trust this guy?" Harley whispered to Torque.

"What do we have to lose?" Torque answered.

The two then quietly followed Jupitus to what they hoped would be an escape from their present lives of misery and despair.


	5. Chapter 5

"Happy Birthday to You!" a cheerful Vinnie sang off-key. It was early in the morning at the scoreboard in Chicago. Vinnie's bad vocals were not music to the ears of Throttle, who was still asleep. He woke up at the sound of Vinnie's voice. Throttle, who was in a bad mood, was not as excited as Vinnie about his birthday.

Throttle grumbled and threw a pillow at Vinnie. "Aw shut up Vincent!" he yelled. "You sound like Fred the Mutant while he's being electrocuted."

Modo, who was awake in the bottom bunk on the bunk bed that he and Throttle shared, tried to counter Throttle's hostility toward Vinnie.

"Come on Throttle." Modo said playfully. "At least he's not trying to sing 'The Star Spangled Banner' again."

"Yeah, one $500 fine from the city of Chicago for noise pollution and disturbing the peace is enough." Vinnie said.

"Not to mention the fact that the fans down in Quigley Field threw almost anything they could get their hands on at you." Modo laughed.

"Hey, that's not funny!" Vinnie exclaimed. "I'm still trying to get those ketchup stains out of my pants."

"Would you two please shut up!" Throttle said fiercely.

"Well, it seems that someone doesn't want to face becoming older." Vinnie said defensively. "I guess everyone can't stay as youthful and handsome as me." he said while admiring himself in the mirror.

Vinnie's self-admiration was interrupted when Charley entered the room. She was holding a fancily wrapped present in her hands.

"Sweetheart!" Vinnie exclaimed while taking the present out of her hands. "For me?"

"You shouldn't have."

Charley grabbed the present back. "I didn't." she said. "This is for Throttle."

"I might wait to give him that present if I were you Charley-girl." Vinnie informed her. "It seems that our birthday boy is a little grumpy this morning."

Charley and Vinnie were soon joined by Modo and Throttle, who had gotten out of their beds.

"Good morning Charley ma'am." Modo said politely.

"Good morning Modo." Charley answered.

"Throttle!" Charley said excitely as Throttle approached them. "Here is your present."

Throttle smiled weakly as he accepted the present. "Thank you Charley, but despite what Vincent here told you, today is not really my birthday."

"On mars today is your birthday." Vinnie stated.

"Well, we're not on mars are we!" Throttle yelled and stormed out of the room. Seconds later, they heard a motorcycle engine revving up. Charley, Modo, and Vinnie watched him speed across the Quigley Field turf onto Chicago's streets.

"What's wrong with him?" Charley asked concerned. "Throttle doesn't usually fly off the handle like this."

"His birthday's always been hard for him since…" Modo said before he trailed off.

"Well, to be honest, it's hard for me too." Modo said, his voice cracking. He lowered his head and walked quickly into another room.

"Modo!" Charley called after him. She started to follow him but Vinnie extended an arm to prevent her from advancing.

"What's going on?" Charley asked Vinnie. "What's wrong with Throttle and Modo?"

"I probably shouldn't have hassled Throttle so much about his birthday today." Vinnie said sadly. "Especially since it reminds him of his sister."

"Throttle has a sister?" Charley asked in disbelief.

"He had a sister." Vinnie corrected her. "A twin sister actually."

"She died during the Plutarkian War."

"Poor Throttle." Charley said quietly.

"It gets worse." Vinnie said. "She was also Modo's wife."

Charley gasped. "Modo's wife?" she asked in shock.

"Yeah." Vinnie answered. "They hadn't been married for very long before she got killed."

"Oh no." Charley moaned. "Poor Throttle, poor Modo."

"Yeah, she was really special." Vinnie said. "She was one of the best of us freedom fighters."

"She also was a total babe, but never tell Throttle that I told you that." Vinnie warned. "Or Modo for that matter."

Vinnie and Charley stood quietly for a few minutes, each thinking about the fallen Martian warrior.

"How did she get killed?" Charley asked, breaking the silence.

"It was all the rats' fault." Vinnie answered. "That's one of the reasons why Modo hates rats so much."

"She was patrolling a Martian refugee camp that day." Vinnie explained.

"The rats blew up the camp with a series of high powered explosives late in the afternoon." "The attack was completely unexpected."

"We were off on another mission when we got the news from Stoker." Vinnie trailed off. "I've never seen Stoker so out of it, he really considered Throttle and Torque to be the children he never had."

"I remember seeing Modo just fall to pieces but Throttle just stood there, like he didn't hear what Stoker had said."

"I still don't think that he's really accepted that she's gone."


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two days since Harley and Torque had met Jupitus. In that time, the trio had journeyed from Plutopia en route to mars. Jupitus warned them that their mission was extremely dangerous. He knew that bounty hunters had caught wind that someone was helping Martians escape from Plutopia. He also knew that the Plutarkian government had offered a large cash sum to anyone who could capture individuals involved with aiding Martian runaways. Due to his shape shifting powers, he had often convinced bounty hunters during stopovers at Black Rock Asteriod that he was a Plutarkian soldier transporting Martians to work in the sulfur mines of Io, a moon of Jupiter. He knew that most of the criminals on Black Rock were too stupid to realize that Io had finished being exploited by the Plutarkians years ago. However, he didn't know how long he could keep up the charade.

"Here is some food for you." Jupitus said kindly as he handed a parcel of food to Torque.

"Thank you." Torque responded. "For everything."

"I just wish I could help more." Jupitus said as he stared out of the spaceship.

Their conversation was interrupted by Harley's violent coughing. Torque rushed to the sleeping quarters of the ship where Harley was located. Harley was shaking uncontrollably and was running a high temperature. Torque grabbed a nearby water canteen and tried to get her friend to drink the water.

"Here Harley, drink this!" she said urgently.

The water ran down the sides of Harley's mouth. Harley had become delirious as a result of her fever. She started mumbling incoherently and refused to drink the water.

"Torque, what's wrong?" Jupitus asked her over the ship's intercom system.

"It's Harley!" Torque exclaimed. "She's getting worse."

"Hold on, we're almost to your home planet." Jupitus reassured her. "We can get help there."

On mars, it was past midnight. Carbine was still in her office working on paperwork.

"General Carbine, General Carbine!" One of the soldiers who was on guard yelled as he burst into her office.

Carbine stood up and walked toward him. "What is it?" she asked.

"A Plutarkian ship has been spotted in Martian airspace."

"It could be Jupitus." Carbine answered. "However, we can't take any chances…"

Before she could finish, another soldier had sent a radio message to her office.

"General Carbine, we have received a radio message from the Plutarkian ship."

"It is Jupitus and he says that he has two Martians on board."

"One of them is very ill."

"Alert the medical staff at once." Carbine ordered. She then turned to face the soldier in her office.

"Prepare an envoy of soldiers to meet the ship."

"Yes ma'am." the soldier responded as he left her office.

The Plutarkian ship soon landed on the Martian surface, where it was greeted by the envoy. Jupitus emerged out of the ship first, carrying Harley in his arms. He was followed by Torque.

A Martian soldier accompanied by a medic approached Jupitus.

"We'll take her to get medical treatment immediately." the soldier informed him before they left.

Rimfire, who was part of the envoy, approached Torque. "I think that we should take you to the infirmary too ma'am."

"Huh?" Torque said before she looked closer at the young soldier talking to her. She was shocked at the soldier's appearance. She soon recognized him as being her nephew Rimfire.

"Rimfire?" she asked in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

"Aunt Torque?" Rimfire asked. "You're alive?!"

"We thought that you were dead!" he told her.

The two hugged each other.

"Oh my goodness Rimfire." Torque said excitedly. "You're all grown up now."

"The last time I saw you, you were just a little kid."

"Wait till Uncle Modo and Throttle hear about this!" Rimfire exclaimed.

"They're alive?" Torque asked.

"Yeah." Rimfire informed her. "They're on earth, fighting the Plutarkians."

"They're trying to stop the Plutarkians from doing to earth what they did to mars."

"I can't believe this." Torque said "The Plutarkians told us that everyone left on mars were killed during the war."

"But…you're alive, my brother and my husband…"

"You're all alive." she said. "After all of this time," she said as she started to cry, "after all of this time we thought you were dead."

Rimfire hugged her. "It's okay Aunt Torque." he said as he tried to comfort her.

"It's okay."


	7. Chapter 7

"How is Harley doing?" Stoker asked Carbine as they stood outside of the room where she had been taken in the infirmary. It had been several hours since Harley and Torque had arrived back on mars. Harley had been taken for immediate medical attention. Torque was also taken to the infirmary, where she was diagnosed with dehydration, exhaustion, and malnutrition. Although her condition was not nearly as severe as Harley's, the medics believed that she should receive several days bed rest and immediate nutritional supplements to ward off further malnourishment.

"Not good." Carbine replied. "The medics say that her condition is worsening."

Stoker slammed his fist into a adjacent wall. "If only I could get my hands on that Mace I'd make him sorry he was ever born!" he shouted.

"Stoker, I understand that you are upset, but you must stay calm and keep your voice down." Carbine told him firmly.

Stoker sighed. "You're right." "The important thing is that they both made it back home before it was too late."

Stoker glanced into the infirmary, where Harley was fighting for her life. "I don't think I should be here right now." he said sadly before walking away.

"What's going on out here?" Torque asked as she emerged from the infirmary.

"Torque, you're supposed to be on bed rest!" Carbine exclaimed. "Go back into the infirmary."

"Don't think that just because you're a general now that you can bark orders at me sis." Torque informed her.

"I've survived for years on that rancid Plutarkian moon, a little dehydration won't get the best of me."

"You know Throttle would never forgive me if I let something happen to you." Carbine responded.

"Yeah, that's my big brother for you, always overprotective." Torque laughed. "Especially when we were kids, he would run background checks on all my potential playmates."

"You know he blames himself for what happened to you." Carbine said quietly.

"No, I didn't know that." Torque said. "I guess I will have to talk some sense into him."

"Hopefully, you'll get that opportunity soon." Carbine replied. "I'm making a trip to earth to inform the Biker Mice what's going on here."

"I would send Rimfire and Stoker, but the last time either of them went, they crashed the spaceship into the Quigley Field scoreboard."

Torque laughed. "Poor Rimfire, but Stoker should know better." "At any rate, I'm going with you."

"You can't do that, you're not in any condition to…" Carbine started to say before Torque interrupted her.

"Listen Carbine, you know that during the Plutarkian war, we both fought in battles with far worse injuries and illnesses." Torque told her. "I'll be alright."

"You're not going to talk me out of going to earth with you."

Carbine sighed. "Alright, you can go but I'm still having a medic travel with us in case you take a turn for the worse."

"Whatever you say General." Torque said sarcastically.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm really worried about Throttle." Charley said. "He hasn't been back all day."

"Do you think we should go looking for him?"

Vinnie, who was polishing off a plate of hot dogs, was too busy eating to pay her any attention.

"What did you say Charley girl?" Vinnie mumbled, his mouth full of food.

Charley looked at Vinnie, whose face was smeared with relish. Portions of his meal rested on his lap.

"Honestly Vinnie, will you ever develop any proper table manners?" Charley asked him impatiently.

Vinnie answered her question with a loud burp.

"And I thought the Loogeys were bad." Charley mumbled.

Charley walked toward the entrance of the Last Chance garage, where Modo was working on his bike.

"How are you doing Modo?" a concerned Charley asked him.

"Alright I guess." Modo replied. "Good thing lil' darlin' here needed some repairs, it helps to get my mind off things."

"Modo," Charley said as she rested her hand on his shoulder, "if you ever want to talk about anything, I'm here."

Modo smiled at her. "Thanks Charley girl."

Vinnie walked toward the two of them holding his stomach. "Oh man, I'm stuffed." he said. "I don't think I could eat another bite."

Modo and Charley walked to the dinner table to find that only one hot dog was left. Both of them looked back angrily at Vinnie, who was grinning sheepishly.

"Hey, I have an active metabolism." Vinnie said in defense.

"If only you had an active brain to match." Charley muttered.

Just then Throttle entered the garage.

"Throttle!" Charley exclaimed. "We were so worried about you."

"Well you don't have to worry anymore Charley, I'm back."

The garage was silent for a moment until the silence was interrupted by the sound of beeping from the radio.

"Hello?" "Is anyone there?" Carbine's voice called out from the radio.

Throttle rushed over to the radio. "Carbine, we're here, what's going on?"

"I have something important to tell you." Carbine responded.

"Ooh." Vinnie catcalled. "It seems that someone is getting more for his birthday than he bargained for."

"Shut up Vincent." Throttle ordered.

"Go ahead Carbine." Throttle said.

"I'll fill you in on all the details once I land." Carbine said. "You guys are going to be in for the shock of your lives."


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm glad that this trip to earth wasn't like the last time I came here." Carbine said as she landed the spaceship behind the Last Chance garage.

"What happened the last time?" Torque asked

"A bunch of Plutarkian stink-faces shot at me the whole way here until I finally lost 'em."

Carbine, Torque, and the medic descended from the spaceship and started to walk toward the garage.

They soon were greeted with the loud sound of Vinnie's singing. As usual, he was badly off key.

"Celebrate good times come on...celebrate..."

"Shut up Vincent!" was Throttle's angry response.

"Throttle, you should be happy bro." Vinnie replied. "After all, your girlfriend is coming to visit you for your birthday."

"And she's bringing a surprise." Vinnie catcalled. "I wonder what it could be?"

"I hope earplugs." Throttle responded.

"Geez, Throttle really sounds like he's in a mood." Torque stated.

"Well, hopefully seeing you again will snap him out of it." Carbine replied as she knocked on the back door.

"I'll get it!" Modo yelled from inside the garage.

Modo opened the door and saw the trio of Martians.

"Evening Carbine ma'am." Modo said.

"Hello Modo." Carbine responded.

"Oh come on Modo, don't tell me you've forgotten about me!" Torque said playfully.

"Torque!" Modo yelled in disbelief as he recognized the second Martian female. "But you're..."

"Dead?" Torque said as she finished his sentence. "No, I'm afraid not."

Modo rushed back into the garage, leaving the three waiting at the back door.

"Modo!" Vinnie exclaimed when he saw the look on Modo's face. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I...I believe I have." Modo stammered. "Torque's back there."

"Torque!" Throttle yelled. "But that's impossible."

"Wrong big brother." Torque said as she walked in the room, followed by Carbine and the medic.

"I'm just as alive as you are."

Throttle walked over to Carbine.

"Carbine, what's going on here?" he asked. "How can she possibly be my sister?"

"Umm...let's see." Torque replied. "We share 50 of our DNA due to the fact that we have the same parents."

Throttle glared at Torque. "Is this someone's idea of a sick joke?" he asked. "Everyone knows that Torque was killed during the Plutarkian war."

"No big brother, this is really me." Torque said as she placed her hand on Throttle's shoulder. "I wasn't killed in the attack that day. I was sold into slavery on Plutark's Plutopia moon by rats. That's where I've been all of this time."

"Several days ago, Harley and I..."

"Harley?" Vinnie asked. "You know where Harley is?"

"Yes." Torque replied. "Harley was sold into slavery also. After Mace kidnapped her, he sold her into slavery on Plutopia as well. She was used to help design some of the Plutarkians' weapons and machinery."

"We finally were able to escape from that rotten moon a couple of days ago." Torque continued. "A Jovian named Jupitus helped us escape, he is the last of the inhabitants of Jupiter. They were killed off by the Plutarkians too."

"Well, where is she?" an impatient Vinnie asked. "Is she alright, is she hurt, is she sick?"

"She's back on mars." Torque responded. "She's not doing too well."

"Life on Plutopia was nothing easy, it's a miracle that we are even alive at all."

"The Plutarkians wrecked that moon far worse than they wrecked mars." Torque explained. "There was hardly any food, water, anything. To make matters worse, the Plutarkians kept us working almost around the clock in their factories, barely allowing us enough time to sleep or do anything else."

"So many of us taken to that moon didn't make it, and the ones who did are barely hanging on."

"That is so awful." Charley said as she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

"Don't apologize for something that isn't you fault." Torque said. "It's nobody's fault but those fishfaced Plutarkians."

"And one day, I hope to make them pay for what they've done to me and every other Martian."

Note: I do not own the song "Celebrate" performed by Kool and the Gang


	10. Chapter 10

"That's the first time I've had a good laugh in as long as I can remember," Torque said as she held both of her sides laughing.

Everyone in the garage except Throttle had laughed until tears rolled down their faces. They were watching video footage of Vinnie's audition for the popular T.V. show U.S. Pop Icon.

Despite the fact that he had been banned from every karaoke bar in the greater Chicago area, Vinnie refused to be deterred from auditioning for the televison show. He had convinced himself that since he was the "baddest motorcycle mammajamma in the universe" that he could also be the "baddest singing motorcycle mammajamma in the universe."

"That was by far the worst vocal performance that I have ever heard," Simeon Kyle, one of the three judges of the show said in a disgusted voice after Vinnie had finished singing "I Will Always Love You." A song that Vinnie had dedicated to himself.

"You make me embarrassed to have vocal cords," Simeon continued.

"My mom thought that I had a lovely singing voice," Vinnie said defensively.

"Yes, well, you have the voice that only a mother could love," Simeon replied with a snippy British accent. "I seriously doubt that even she loved your voice because you have the type of voice that no one could love. If there was the extremely slim chance that someone out there actually did love your voice, I would take it as a sign that they need to be committed to an insane asylum."

"Humph!" Vinnie responded as he stormed out of the room.

"Don't quit your day job!" Simeon called out to Vinnie.

"I don't have one!" Vinnie yelled back angrily.

"We later found out that Fred the Mutant is a big fan of Vinnie's," Modo said, barely stifling a laugh. "He listens to Vinnie's singing anytime that he wants to torture himself."

"He obviously has good taste," Vinnie declared.

"If that's good taste, I'd hate to know what bad taste is," Modo laughed.

"Your mom's cooking had a bad taste," Vinnie answered.

Modo's eye started to glow red. "Why you!" Modo exclaimed as he lunged for Vinnie.

Vinnie barely avoided being punched by Modo's mechanical arm while trying to escape his wrath. Throttle jumped up from his chair and wedged himself between Modo and Vinnie.

"Would you two act sensibly!" Throttle yelled. "The last thing I need is to be aggravated right now."

Throttle then walked out of the garage's back door. Carbine rose out of her chair to follow him but was motioned to sit back down by Torque.

"I think that me and my brother need to have a sibling heart-to-heart," Torque said as she ran to follow Throttle out of the back door.

"Throttle?" Torque said as she walked slowly toward her brother, whose back was turned to her. "Throttle, come on, you haven't said a single thing to me since I got here."

Throttle did not answer his sister.

"Throttle, don't give me the silent treatment like you used to when we were kids," Torque said as she walked over to her brother.

"It's funny," Throttle said quietly. "I've saved countless lives from danger and I couldn't even save my own sister." Throttle turned to face Torque. "I don't think that I'll ever be able to forgive myself. After mom died, I promised myself that I would never let anything happen to you and I failed. I failed her and I failed you."

Torque grabbed her brother's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Throttle you can't blame yourself for what happened to me," Torque said in an unwavering voice. "There's nothing you could have done to stop it."

"If only I had volunteered for that mission, it would have been me instead of you," Throttle said sadly. "You would have been spared having to suffer on that putrid moon."

"I'll never be able to forget that."


	11. Chapter 11

"My ex-wife is cleaning me out!" Limburger screamed at the top of his lungs, which caused his foul breath to spread throughout the room. When the smell reached Karbunkle, he nearly passed out.

"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing your cream of the crop cheesiness," Karbunkle said while fanning his hand vigorously in front of his nose. He was trying desperately to keep from swooning.

Limburger walked swiftly over to Karbunkle. "What do you mean wouldn't be such a bad thing?!" An enraged Limburger screamed in Karbunkle's face, unleashing the full brunt of his halitosis. The odor of Limburger's breath overpowered Karbunkle, causing him to collapse on the floor.

Limburger looked down at Karbunkle, who lay sprawled out on the floor of his office. "Good help is so very hard to find these days," he sighed sadly as he stepped on Karbunkle and walked back to his desk. Limburger plopped down at his desk and buried his face in his hands. "What am I going to do?" Limburger asked in a worried voice. A Plutarkian court had granted Limburger's ex-wife, Alexa Colby, a significant increase in the amount of alimony that she received from him.

Alexa Colby, Limburger's ex-wife, was, like all other Plutarkians, ruthless, cold-hearted, power hungry, greedy, and deceitful. She was presently the Plutarkian planetary conquistador for Denver, Colorado. She had met and married Limburger when both of them were college students on Plutark. The newlyweds soon found that they were too much alike to get along. Their marriage ended with the both of them at each other's throats. Their divorce was bitter, made even bitterer by the fact that Alexa hired the Plutarkian lawyer Perry Provoloni to represent her in court. Provoloni and Limburger had long been rivals and the fact that he decided to represent Alexa made relations between Provoloni and Limburger even more hostile.

Provoloni secretly made a deal with the judge on behalf of Alexa. He informed the judge that Alexa would be more than willing to share a significant portion of her divorce settlement with the judge if he would rule in her favor. The offer was too tempting for the judge to refuse. He awarded Alexa all of Limburger's financial assets on Plutark. In addition, the judge ruled that Limburger had to pay 50 of his future monthly earnings to Alexa as alimony. Recently, Limburger had learned that the judge increased the amount to 75.

"What am I going to do?" Limburger moaned. "How am I going to live off of 25? I'm already in debt up to my forehead with those marauding mice constantly destroying my building and disrupting my harvest of earth's natural resources. It cannot be done, it simply cannot be done!"

Limburger's bellyaching was interrupted when he heard Lord Camembert bellow "Limburger!" Limburger looked up at his vidcom, which had been in sleep mode only a few minutes earlier to find Lord Camembert clad in his pajamas. He appeared to have been disturbed from his slumber. From the look on his face, he was not too happy about it.

Limburger leapt out of his chair. "Greetings Lord Camembert," he said cheerfully. "To what do I owe this displeasure?" Lord Camembert looked at Limburger with contempt. "Silence you sycophant!" Lord Camembert exclaimed. "Well, let's get on with it," Camembert said as he proceeded to initiate the traditional Plutarkian greeting. A look of disgust crossed Limburger's face as he joined Lord Camembert in the greeting.

"It has come to my attention, unfortunately in the middle of the night; two Martian prisoners have escaped from Plutopia." Lord Camembert informed Limburger after the greeting was over. Limburger could not contain his amusement. "You mean to tell me that the high chairman of Plutark was aroused from his slumber because two rodents escaped from that desolate wasteland?" Limburger said as he laughed aloud.

"Oh, I'm afraid that this is no laughing matter," Lord Camembert said calmly. "For you see, these are not ordinary rodents." He then held up two pictures, one in each hand. The one in his left hand was of Torque; the one in his right was of Harley.

"These two were originally believed to have perished in a fiery dune buggy wreck on Plutopia. Mace sent a team of Plutopian soldiers to inspect the wreckage. However, they failed to do so. Due to their incompetence, hours that could have been spent apprehending the mice were lost."

Surveillance video recovered from the soldiers' dune buggies after they went off duty revealed the fact that the soldiers refused to comply with Mace's command to search the wreckage for Torque and Harley's remains. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, Mace had every dune buggy equipped with a tiny video camera. When each soldier's shift ended, Mace's assistants removed the camera from their dune buggy and downloaded all of the information from the camera onto Mace's computer.

Mace didn't trust any of the soldiers and knew that they despised him because, as a rat, he had taken a coveted job away from the Plutarkian soldiers. Enraged over the soldiers' insubordination, Mace had the soldiers who had defied him locked away in a dungeon with no food or water.

"The one in my left hand is the sibling of one of the Biker Mice and the wife of another one," Lord Camembert explained to Limburger. "The one in my right, according to Mace, was at one time romantically involved with the remaining Biker Mouse. Once they're found, they will prove to be instrumental in removing the biggest thorn in the side of the Plutarkian empire, the Biker Mice from Mars. The Plutarkian government is offering a very large cash sum for the recovery of these two mice.

An evil smile crept across Limburger's face. "Do tell," he replied.


	12. Chapter 12

"I only knew it was a matter of time before those malicious mackerels would pull a stunt like this," Carbine said angrily after Rimfire contacted her via her portable vidcom. He told her that the Plutarkian government had learned that Torque and Harley had escaped from Plutopia after Plutarkian detectives obtained images from a satellite that had been positioned near where the dune buggy had crashed. The satellite had taken aerial photos of Torque and Harley jumping out of the dune buggy and into a crater. The Plutarkian government knew the two female mice's connections to the Biker Mice and were now offering a huge cash reward for their apprehension-dead or alive.

It didn't take long for interplanetary criminals and bounty hunters to get word about the bounty on Torque and Harley's head. They had descended like locusts on mars, scouring the ravaged planet for any sign of the two mice.

"We've managed to get Harley to Karbunkle's old underground lab but we don't know how long we can keep her there," Rimfire said. "It looks like everybody left Black Rock and came to mars. They're leaving no stone left unturned."

"Do everything that you can to keep her safe. I'll be back as soon as I can," Carbine said to Rimfire.

"What's going on Carbine," Torque asked after Carbine had finished talking to Rimfire.

"Those putrid Plutarkians know about your escape from Plutopia. They've put a bounty on your head and Harley's head," Carbine explained.

"Wonderful," Torque said sarcastically.

It was in the wee hours of the morning. Throttle had left alone on his bike earlier in the evening shortly after talking to his sister. After several hours, Modo and Vinnie left the garage to look for him because the clearly exhausted Torque said that she would not sleep until Throttle came back. She said that she could not rest until she succeeded in "talking some sense into that brother of mine."

"Sweetheart, are you still waiting up for me," Vinnie's voice came from the two-way radio in Charley's room. He was attempting to sound seductive.

Charley rolled her eyes as she started to make snoring sounds into the radio.

Vinnie chuckled into the radio. "Don't worry sleeping beauty; your prince charming will soon be there to wake you up like in the fairy tale."

"Dream on," Charley said dismissingly to Vinnie.

"Vinnie, have you and Modo found Throttle yet?" Carbine asked.

"Yeah, we found him drowning his sorrows in root beer at Manuelo's convenience store," Vinnie said.

"It's very important that you guys get back here as soon as possible," Carbine said pointedly. "The Plutarkians have got every lowlife in the galaxy looking for Torque and Harley by offering a large cash reward for their capture-dead or alive. We've got to figure out a way to keep them safe."

"Man, some people are so lucky" Vinnie cried, lamenting the fact that he was not the focus of such an unprecedented bounty hunt. "They're 'wanted dead or alive,'" he sang.

"Carbine, Carbine, are you there," Stoker's said in a loud, urgent voice from Carbine's vidcom, which she kept in a holder similar to one used for a cell phone.

"Carbine here, what is it Stoker?"

"Before we moved her to Karbunkle's old lab, some of Harley's blood was analyzed. The test results just came back. There is a significant amount of heavy metal buildup in her blood. Mercury, lead, you name it. The heavy metals have done extensive damage to her internal organs…"

Stoker paused for a moment, trying to keep his composure.

"The medics say that Harley won't live much longer," Stoker said, his voice cracking. "They say that she has days, maybe even only hours to live."


	13. Chapter 13

The mood was somber on the spaceship ride to mars. Vinnie's normally sunny disposition turned stormy upon learning of Harley's grim medical diagnosis. He isolated himself in the back of the spaceship, refusing to speak to anyone.

The Biker Mice, Charley, Carbine, Torque, and the medic left earth almost immediately after the Biker Mice returned to the Last Chance garage and were told that Harley was expected to die soon. The fact that their journey to mars would be extremely dangerous given the presence of the numerous criminals and bounty hunters on the planet did not deter the group from visiting what could be their friend's deathbed.

"Harley worked in the electronic landfill on Plutopia for a long time," Torque explained to Modo sadly as they sat together on the ship. "That was where the Plutarkians sent all of their e-trash, old computers, cell phones, vidcoms, you name it. Of course, the electronics all have heavy metals in them that leach into the ground, contaminating it. For years, lead, mercury, cadmium, and who knows what others were washed into the ground by the acid rain on Plutopia.

Torque continued to tell Modo about the immense pollution found on Plutopia and the adverse effects it had on the health of those forced to live there until she started to drift off to sleep. She leaned over to rest her head on Modo's shoulder, forgetting the fact that his right arm is now metal. She quickly realizes her error and sits up.

"Do you ever miss your arm?" Torque asked softly as she touched Modo's bionic arm.

"Not as much as I missed you," Modo said as he brushed some of Torque's cinnamon colored hair out of her face.

The two smiled at each other. Torque then moved to the other side of Modo, where she rested her head on his "good" shoulder, the one that was still flesh. She fell asleep.

Her sleep was not peaceful. She dreamed about when she first came to Plutopia after being captured by the rats and sold into slavery. She dreamed about the mass graves that she was forced to help dig to bury those Martians who did not survive life on Plutopia. Witnessing emaciated children die from starvation and diseases caused by the lack of sanitation on Plutopia.

Modo, who had started to doze off himself, awoke to Torque's screaming. "Torque, Torque," he said soothingly as he tried to wake her. "It's okay, you're safe now."

Torque woke up and placed her hand over her heart. She looked at Modo and hugged him.

"What's going on back here," Throttle said as he emerged from the front of the ship where he had been piloting with Carbine.

"I just had a bad dream," Torque answered. "About Plutopia. I…"

Torque was interrupted by the ship landing, rather roughly, on the ground. Carbine had landed the ship on an asteroid a short distance away from Black Rock asteroid, which was now deserted. The freedom fighters had alerted Jupitus that the Biker Mice and their allies would be shortly en route to mars. The group left the Martian spaceship on the asteroid while they rode with Jupitus in his spaceship the rest of the way to mars. Jupitus would return to mars to get some freedom fighters to pick up the ship once the coast was clear. Jupitus' newest spaceship was equipped with an invisible mode that made it undetectable to even the most sophisticated technology. He flew the spaceship past the bounty hunters and criminals directly to the headquarters of the freedom fighters. He entered a secret underground tunnel where he left the group, who were greeted by Rimfire, Primer, and Stoker.

"We have some bad news," Rimfire said somberly. "Mace has been spotted on mars. Apparently he's looking to cash in on the bounty on Harley and Aunt Torque's head too."

"Why am I not surprised?" Torque asked sarcastically. "Oh, I know because Mace is a slime ball who would sell his own mother out if it meant getting his blood-stained hands on some money."

It was true. Mace's lavish lifestyle on Plutopia II did not come cheap. Mace was in debt up to his forehead. His high interest credit cards were maxed out. His mansion was in danger of foreclosure because he could barely afford to pay for the mortgage and the mansion's upkeep. His luxury cars were gas guzzlers. His wardrobe came from only the finest clothing designers and cost him far too many Plutarkian gold bars. He desperately needed some money to avoid going bankrupt. That and he wanted to capture the two Martian females to satisfy his own personal vendetta against the Biker Mice. He became almost giddy when he thought about ways of enacting revenge against the Biker Mice and two of the most important figures in their lives.

"What about Harley?" Charley asked. "How is she doing?"

"She's in a lot of pain," Rimfire said, speaking because Stoker balled up his fists in anger when her name was mentioned. Apparently, he was too upset to talk about Harley's medical condition. "The medics are trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. They say that at this point, that's all they can do for her." Rimfire lowered his head in grief.

"Well, where is she," Vinnie asked, his face stricken with fear. "We'll get Mace later but right now all I care about is Harley. I want to see her before…before it's too late." Vinnie said as he choked on his words. Charley, who was standing beside him, placed her hand on his shoulder.

The Biker Mice, with Carbine riding with Throttle, Torque riding with Modo, and Charley riding with Vinnie, followed Rimfire, Primer, and Stoker through a series of tunnels located underground. The tunnels had been used by the freedom fighters during the Plutarkian war to transport supplies and troops in secret.

After riding through what seemed to be a maze, they finally to an elevator built into the side of a rock wall. At one point in time, there had been a security code on the elevator but apparently it had been destroyed when sand raiders had come to raid Karbunkle's old lab after the Plutarkian war had ended. The sand raiders had been freaked out by the vivisected body parts, vials of unknown chemicals, and grotesque displays of remains in Karbunkle's lab and left it as it was. The lab had only been discovered when the freedom fighters had sought to extend their network of tunnels to evade rats and sand raiders.

The group was greeted by armed guards when they reached the lab. The guards stood down when they recognized Rimfire, Primer, and Stoker. The group walked down a long hallway until they reached a lab that looked far too much like the one where Karbunkle had experimented with the Biker Mice. The mice grimaced as they remembered what happened to them in a lab similar to the one they were now in.

Their unpleasant memories came to an end when they reached the area of the lab where Harley was located. Everyone was taken aback by Harley's appearance. She had deteriorated rapidly since leaving Plutopia. She was completely emaciated. Her limbs had begun to atrophy. She was very weak and could not even hold her head up.

"Vinnie," Harley called out weakly. "Vinnie, are you here?"

Vinnie rushed over to her side. "What is it sweetheart?" he asked as kneeled by her bedside and held her hand.

A tear appeared in the corner of Harley's eye and fell down the side of her face. "I'm sorry that I didn't fight Mace that day when he grabbed me. If I had fought back, this would have never happened."

"It wasn't your fault Harley, it was all Mace's fault," Vinnie said firmly. "We're going to make him pay for what he did to you. I promise you Harley, I will not rest until he is rotting in intergalactic prison or worse…"

Harley tried to reach up to touch Vinnie's face but it was too painful for her. She winced in pain.

"Revenge won't do any good. It's already too late for me," Harley said in defeat.

Torque rushed over to Harley's bedside.

"No Harley, it is never too late!" Torque emphasized as she grabbed Harley's other hand. "We survived too long on that miserable moon for you to concede defeat when we have finally got our freedom. You've got to fight this Harley. I know you can survive."

You can't give up now."

Tears appeared in Torque's eyes. "You just can't," she told Harley fiercely.


	14. Chapter 14

No one slept for fear that Harley would pass away without them knowing it. Vinnie kept a constant vigil at Harley's bedside, holding her hand and willing her to live. The group breathed a sigh of relief when Harley survived their first night back on mars. Even though Harley had survived the night, she was still in grave danger. She was constantly slipping in and out of consciousness. Her breathing was ragged and she was running a high fever.

"Uncle Modo! Uncle Modo!" Rimfire yelled, breaking the solemn silence in the lab. Everyone looked up to see Rimfire running toward the lab excitedly.

Modo shushed his nephew. "Remember where you're at nephew," Modo said as he gestured toward where Harley was lying in a semi-comatose state.

"Sorry Uncle Modo," Rimfire apologized.

"What's going on Rimfire?" Stoker asked, recognizing the urgency in Rimfire's voice.

"Word is out that Limburger has sent Greasepit and his goon army here to search for Harley and Aunt Torque. He won't come here himself, he has too many enemies among the bounty hunters."

A considerable number of the bounty hunters were super villains who Limburger had previously hired to rid himself of the Biker Mice. Limburger had not paid any of them for their services. The big cheese's failure to pay the mercenaries for their work had, of course, made him a pariah to them. If given the chance, virtually all of them would destroy Limburger and give it no second thought.

Limburger was still reeling from the experience that he and Karbunkle had on Black Rock asteroid when they were accidentally transported there while trying to import the monsters Gorgonzola and Munsterella to destroy the Biker Mice in Chicago. The megalomaniac and his mad scientist were confronted with irate super villains who desperately wanted revenge against Limburger for their defeat at the hands of the Biker Mice and for the fact that the big cheese failed to pay them.

"Greasepit and those goons will be up against some of the most ruthless and bloodthirsty criminals in the galaxy. They won't stand a chance against them. Those bounty hunters will turn them into mincemeat," Throttle hypothesized. "Still, I say that we should do everything we can to stop them. The fewer goons there are looking for Torque and Harley the better."

"Already on it Throttle," Carbine said to her boyfriend as she walked in the lab. She had immediately returned to duty upon arriving back on mars. "It seems that Karbunkle was planning on using some chemical warfare against us Martians. Apparently, the war ended before he had a chance to mix it into the food supply and further decimate our population. We've found some highly concentrated food poisoning stored in barrels in the basement of Karbunkle's lab. The bounty hunters frequent a bar run by the sand raiders. Since the food poisoning is in liquid form, we've diluted it and disguised it as a beverage. We sent it to them as a 'peace offering' from a warring faction of the sand raiders. They are presently drinking it as we speak."

"Uh Mr. Limburger," Greasepit said as he spoke to Limburger via vidcom. It was his first day back on mars and one of the first places that he and the rest of Limburger's goons had stopped was to get something to eat and drink at the sand raiders bar. After drinking more than their fair share of the "funny tasting root beer," Greasepit and the goons became severely ill.

Greasepit was nearly doubled over in pain as he spoke to Limburger. His teeth were clenched and he clutched his stomach tightly.

"Well, what is it?" Limburger said to Greasepit impatiently. "I don't have all day. I'm a busy fish you know. I hope that you have something positive in the way to report in your progress in finding those femme fatales."

Tears were running down Greasepit's face. He groaned in pain. "Mr. Limburger, we can't find 'em. Us goons is too sick."

"You imbecilic ingrates!" Limburger shouted at Greasepit, failing to acknowledge his obvious illness. "You lazy louts! You'd better have something for me the next time I speak to you about the whereabouts of those two fugitive females or else I'll take it out of your greasy hide!"

As Limburger continued with his tirade, Greasepit passed out. He lay unconscious while Limburger continued to tell him what a "dimwitted doofus" and a "bumbling buffoon" he was. It would be several days before Limburger would learn that Greasepit and his goons were all victims of food poisoning.

"How can this be happening to me?" Limburger screamed upon learning that his goon army had been incapacitated by food poisoning. "All I want to do is find those two ermine escapees and collect the bounty on their heads. Is that too much to ask for?"

Limburger's wailing was interrupted by Mace appearing on the vidcom.

"Greetings Lawrence," Mace said in a chipper voice. "We haven't spoken in quite a while."

"What do you want you repulsive rodent," Limburger said wearily.

"It has come to my attention that your goons came upon a little, misfortune, shall we say?" Mace said.

"Did you have something to do with this you repugnant rat?!" An infuriated Limburger yelled at Mace accusatorially. "Were you behind the illness that has afflicted my goons?"

"No, why, I would never do such a thing to you Lawrence," Mace said innocently. "In fact, I contacted you to offer my services to you in order to help you find the two missing Martian mouse females and bring them to justice."

"Why, pray tell, would I wish to accept your assistance?" Limburger asked Mace.

Mace grinned slyly at Limburger. "I am aware of the present financial difficulty that you are having concerning your ex-wife as well as I sure that you are aware of my present financial difficulties."

"I believe that if we both work together and pool our resources that we can apprehend those fugitives and collect more than enough reward money to eliminate both of our financial dilemmas."

"Limburger," Mace said in a tone of voice similar to the one used by used car dealers, "I would like to give you an offer that you can't refuse."


	15. Chapter 15

"Throttle, you can't keep avoiding Torque," Carbine said to Throttle in her private living quarters. "You've hardly spoken to her since we came back to mars." They both were standing on Carbine's balcony, which overlooked the Garden of Hope.

"Don't you think I know that," Throttle snapped at Carbine. He sighed deeply after his outburst. "I'm sorry babe," he said to Carbine in apology as he put his hands on both of her shoulders. "It's just so overwhelming you know. We all believed that Torque was dead and she's been alive all of this time. I just keep thinking about how I've failed her…"

"Throttle, you didn't fail her," Carbine said to Throttle firmly. "You did your best to keep her safe. You always volunteered for the most dangerous missions so that she would be out of harm's way. Patrolling that village was thought to be one of the safer missions. No one ever expected that the rats would blow it up."

"You avoiding Torque right now is really hurting her," Carbine explained to Throttle. "After all she's been through on that moon; she really needs as much support as she can get, especially from her brother."

"Believe me Carbine, I know that. I just can't get beyond the 'what ifs' in my mind. I just feel like that I could've done more after the explosion to find out what really happened. We never searched the site thoroughly. If we had, maybe we could have found some clues that would have indicated that Torque was still alive."

"Throttle, you can't keep beating yourself up about what happened to Torque. Even if you would have found something that proved that she was still alive, you wouldn't have known where to find her. No one knew that the rats were selling us mice into slavery on Plutopia until after the war ended. We would have never known if it had not been for Jupitus bringing survivors back here from that rancid moon."

"The important thing is that we found her and that she's still alive. She needs you now, Throttle. It's unfortunate what happened but it's in the past. We cannot change what happened but you have the power of a second chance with your loved one. Some of us are not so fortunate. It looks like Vinnie just barely did get a second chance with Harley."

Carbine sighed. "I think that we should go back to the lab. The medics told me that Harley's vital signs have been steadily weakening throughout the day. At this point…"

Carbine was interrupted by the sound of the head medic calling her name from the vidcom in her living quarters.

Carbine quickly went back into her living quarters, followed by Throttle.

"Carbine here, what is it," Carbine asked the medic once she reached the vidcom.

The medic sighed sadly. "I hate to tell you this but Harley just passed away a few minutes ago. I'm sorry; we did everything that we possibly could for her."

"I know that you did, I'll be there as soon as possible," Carbine said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Another fallen Freedom Fighter," Throttle said grimly. "When will we finally stop losing our friends and loved ones because of the Plutarkians?"

When Carbine and Throttle arrived back at the lab, Harley's body had been covered with a sheet. There wasn't a dry eye in the building. Vinnie was noticeably absent.

"He took off on his bike after they pronounced Harley dead," Torque said, her voice choked with sobs.

"I'm worried about him," Charley said as she wiped tears from her eyes. "I don't think that he will deal with her death too well."

"Modo wanted to follow him but he was upset himself," Torque informed them. "I told him that I didn't think that he was in any condition to go looking for Vinnie."

"I'll send out a search party to look for Vinnie," Carbine said. "I'm concerned that he might not be stable right now. He's very vulnerable and may run up on one or more of those bounty hunters. He might even run up on Mace. There's no telling what might happen, especially with Vinnie being as hot-headed as he is."

"One Martian death is one too many. I won't have another one on my watch."


	16. Chapter 16

"More than a week wasted scouring Mars looking for those two and I have nothing to show for it!" Mace said angrily. Depressed by his unfruitful search for Torque and Harley, Mace had returned to Plutopia II for a short vacation before returning to Mars to search for them once more.

Mace was presently at his oceanfront luxury condominium while a small army of prisoners from Plutark were working around the clock to find Torque and Harley on Mars. Mace had bribed prison officials on Plutark to allow him to use Plutarkian prisoners to help him search for Torque and Harley.

Most of Plutark's prisoners were considered to be the dregs of Plutarkian society. They were primarily low-income and uneducated. Unlike wealthier Plutarkians, they lacked the finances and the influence to bribe judges or hire top dollar attorneys to keep them out of prison when they broke the law.

Unbeknownst to Mace, the Plutarkian prisoners revolted against the guards that he hired to keep watch over them. The Plutarkian prisoners beat the guards up and then ran off. They hijacked a spaceship belonging to a mercenary who had been afflicted with the food poisoning that Limburger's goons suffered from. The prisoners fled Mars immediately, retreating to parts unknown.

Mace was enjoying his breakfast and reading the morning newspaper on his balcony when his butler brought his portable vidcom to him. "Sir, it is one of your guards," the butler told Mace in his prim and proper voice. "He says that something dreadful has happened on Mars."

Mace grabbed the vidcom from his butler. His head guard was on the vidcom. The guard shook visibly with fear.

"Sir," the guard began in a shaky voice. "The prisoners revolted against us. They escaped in a spaceship they stole from one of the mercenaries suffering from food poisoning."

"What!" Mace screamed at the top of his lungs. "I paid top dollar for you guards and you let me down like this?! I should have never left Mars. I should have stayed there to ensure that the job was done correctly." An enraged Mace threw the vidcom against his wall, smashing it into pieces.

Mace then rubbed his temples in an attempt to soothe the headache that started immediately after he learned that the Plutarkian prisoners had escaped from his guards.

"Mace's headache was further aggravated by a loud knock at his front door.

"I'll get it sir," Mace's butler said as he hastily made his way to the front door. The butler opened the door to reveal Limburger and Karbunkle dressed in loud, Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and sandals. The two of them wore sunglasses and were sipping tropical drinks from coconuts. They were accompanied by Fred the Mutant, who carried their numerous pieces of luggage. Fred the Mutant could barely stand due to the weight of the luggage, a fact that caused him to be in a state of euphoria.

"That's so nice," the mutant cooed happily. A blissful smile was on his face.

"What do you want Lawrence," Mace hissed at Limburger as he came to the door. "I am not in the mood for jokes."

"As I imagine that you wouldn't be," Limburger said with a smile on his face. "After all, your incompetence led to the escape of the vast majority of Plutark's prisoners."

"It was not my incompetence, it was the incompetence of those imbecilic guards that I hired," Mace corrected Limburger.

"Tell that to the judge at your trial," Limburger told Mace. "You see, the Plutarkian government is not at all pleased about your continued failings. You have failed to apprehend those female fugitives in a timely manner. Now, your incompetence has led to Plutark losing one of its cheapest labor forces. Who else is going to make Plutark's license plates and other products for little or nothing?"

"Mace, the Plutarkian government has stripped you of your position on Plutopia," Limburger continued. Your Swiss cheese bank accounts have been frozen. Your automobiles, jewelry, art, and residences, including this one, have been auctioned off at fire sale prices. In addition, there is presently a warrant out for your arrest for your unlawful bribery of prison officials."

Limburger showed Mace a piece of paper. It was a deed that stated that Limburger was now the owner of Mace's condominium.

"What!" Mace cried. "This can't be happening!"

Limburger smiled. "It can and it is. Officers, you can take him away now," Limburger called out of the doorway. Two portly members of Plutark's highly corrupt police force came into the condominium and placed handcuffs on Mace. The two police officers who had come to take Mace into custody were on the take. They had been paid off by Limburger.

"No!" Mace yelled. "You can't do this to me!" Mace screamed as the officers' drug him out of the condo.


	17. Chapter 17

Harley was buried in the Garden of Hope just two days after her death. Martians had always buried their dead quickly, even more so during the Plutarkian War. Dead bodies had to be buried quickly to prevent their rapid decomposition in the arid Martian climate.

Harley's funeral was a private one, attended by the inner circle of freedom fighters. The Biker Mice excluding Vinnie, Stoker, Carbine, Rimfire, and Primer. Charley was the only non-freedom fighter at Harley's funeral. The others had paid their respects to Harley the night before, when Harley's body had lain in state in Karbunkle's underground lab.

Torque did not attend Harley's funeral, despite her vehement opposition. She was to remain guarded by freedom fighters in Karbunkle's underground lab while Harley was laid to rest. Carbine had a plan to try to deceive the bounty hunters into thinking that both Torque and Harley had died in hopes that they would leave mars.

As Harley's coffin and the coffin containing a replica of Torque's body were being lowered into the red Martian soil, Greasepit and a group of Limburger's goons disrupted the funeral. They had all recovered from the food poisoning and had spent the last several days frantically searching for Torque and Harley.

Meanwhile, their employer, Limburger, was enjoying a seaside vacation at his new condominium on Plutopia. However, his vacation would prove to be short-lived. His ex-wife, Alexa, learned of the property that he had acquired at the auction of Mace's estate. She wasted no time in contacting her lawyer and the judge who presided over her divorce proceedings. The judge ordered that Limburger turn over the condominium and any other items he purchased at the auction to Alexa immediately.

Limburger returned to Chicago angry and embittered. He had planned to sell the condominium, along with several priceless works of art and pieces of extravagant jewelry for a huge profit to collectors from across the galaxy. It was his hope that proceeds from the sale would help to alleviate his money woes. Now, he was even further in the hole than before.

"I'se heard that those two girl meeces kicked the bucket," Greasepit sneered at Harley's mourning friends. "Mr. Limburger told us goons to bring 'em back dead or alive so that he can collect the reward money. Ready youse goons; let's go get 'em." Greasepit and his goons attacked the gravediggers, forcing them to stop lowering the coffins into the ground. Greasepit and his goons proceeded in trying to remove the coffins from the ground.

Modo's eye started to glow bright red and he started to shake with uncontrollable rage.

"How dare you!" Modo exclaimed as he charged at Greasepit and his goons. He started to fire on them with his mechanical arm.

Modo's fighting was so fierce that he managed to take out all of the goons by himself. Badly beaten, all of the goons fled the Garden of Hope. Greasepit was desperately trying to scramble away from Modo when Modo grabbed him and lifted him up into the air. Greasepit started to tremble when he saw the rage on his face.

"Mama…" Greasepit yelped in a small voice.

"No, Mama isn't going to help you now," Modo said in a low, angry voice.

"You got that right Modo," Vinnie said as he walked up behind Modo and Greasepit. Everyone looked up in surprise when they heard Vinnie's voice. Even though Carbine had sent out a search party to find Vinnie, they could find no trace of him. No one had known when, or if, Vinnie would return to his friends. Modo was so shocked to see Vinnie that he dropped Greasepit on the ground.

Vinnie pulled a flare from his bandoleer and lit it.

"You know Greasepit, this flare was given to me by someone very special," Vinnie said as he walked around Greasepit to look him in the eyes. It is partially because of your boss Limburger and the other putrid Plutarkians like him that she is no longer with us today. It isn't just the Plutarkians' fault that Harley died; Mace's hands are covered in Harley's blood as well. Since they aren't here, I'll just have to take my anger out on you."

Vinnie dropped the lit flare down the front of Greasepit's overalls. The flame ignited the petroleum that was produced by Greasepit's body. Almost instantly, Greaspit's clothing caught on fire.

Greasepit started to scream as the flames engulfed his clothing. He ran away from the Garden of Hope, in the same direction as the other goons did.

"When I get my hands on Mace, his punishment will be 1000 times worse than that," Vinnie said quietly as he watched the fiery figure of Greasepit run across the barren red landscape.


	18. Chapter 18

"You bestial baboon!" Limburger screamed at Greasepit in his office. It had only been a short time since Greasepit and the rest of Limburger's goons had returned to Limburger tower via Karbunkle's transporter machine. After the fire created by Vinnie's flare engulfed Greasepit's clothes, a humiliated Greasepit gave up his effort to retrieve the bodies of Harley and Torque. He decided to return to Chicago empty-handed to face the full wrath of his employer.

Greasepit was clad in only in what resembled an adult diaper. He looked like a horrible, overgrown distortion of Cupid that had been doused in grease. He had the appearance of someone who went down in a dirty chimney and failed to bathe afterward.

"Sorry boss," Greasepit said as he trembled before Limburger. "We'se goons did da best that wes could."

"Well your best wasn't good enough!" Limburger bellowed as he hurled Greasepit across the room. Greasepit crashed against the back wall of Limburger's office, ruining the wallpaper.

"The cost to replace that wallpaper will be deducted from your pay," Limburger angrily told Greasepit.

"I don't get paid boss," Greasepit mumbled, his mouth filled with his own grease.

"Oh Lawrence, must you be so hard on that poor dumb creature?" Alexa Colby asked with pseudo-sympathy as she entered her ex-husband's office. Like Limburger, she also masqueraded as a human in order to blend in with earth's populace. Unlike Limburger, her human disguise was an attractive one. In Denver, she was known as a wealthy socialite/real estate magnate who lived la dolce vita. As usual, she was dressed in the finest designer clothing. She wore millions of dollars worth of jewelry. She was flanked on either side by two huge bodyguards who seemed to be built of pure muscle.

"Alexa!" Limburger exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Whatever I want to Lawrence," Alexa replied with unrestrained bravado. "I came here to tell you what a fool you are. Did you honestly think that you could purchase the bulk of Mace's estate on Plutopia without me finding out?"

Alexa knew that Mace had one of the finest collections of precious stones in the galaxy. When she learned on a tabloid Plutarkian TV show that Mace's estate had been confiscated and would be auctioned off by the Plutarkian government, she did not hesitate to send her assistants to Plutopia to bid on his property.

At the auction, Alexa's assistants spotted Limburger winning bids for the some of the most expensive assets that Mace owned. They quickly contacted her via vidcom and told their boss what her ex-husband was up to."

"You went to Plutopia in secret thinking that you could buy property without me knowing about it so that I couldn't get it. You thought that you would be able to buy it and sell it quickly and make a huge profit."

"However, you failed, as you usually do, in recognizing the fact that I am your intellectual superior. I know every trick in your dirty little book," Alexa said condescendingly to Limburger.

"I know all about you bribing members of the Plutarkian police force. Could you imagine my shock in learning that my ex-husband was involved in something as unethical as bribing members of Plutarkian law enforcement?" Alexa said to Limburger as she feigned innocence, her hand placed over her heart.

"It isn't as if you haven't done the same thing," Limburger retorted. "The only reason that I bribed those police was to get that repulsive rodent Mace put in prison so that I could continue my efforts to capture those Martian mice escapees unchallenged."

"What a shame that all of that hard dishonest work will go to waste," Alexa said. "For you see Lawrence, you soon will be joining your friend Mace in a Pluarkian jail cell."

"Oh Karbunkle, where are you dear?" Alexa called out sweetly to the mad scientist. Karbunkle soon came into Limburger's office, a smile on his face.

"What is it your dairy delightfulness?" Karbunkle said to Alexa.

"Karbunkle, what in the name of Plutark is going on here?" A confused Limburger asked the sycophant scientist.

"Come on Lawrence, you can't possibly be that dumb," Alexa said to Limburger in disbelief. Everyone knows that Karbunkle can be brought and sold like stocks on Wall Street. All I had to do was offer him more money than you, and he agreed to sell you out. For the past few years, Karbunkle has been helping me create false evidence that will make the Plutarkian government believe that you have been misappropriating the funds given to you by Plutark. According to us, you have been using the money for your own personal use instead of using it to help destroy earth. I just came from taking the evidence to the high chairman. He's going to see to it that you get the book thrown at you."

"Officers!" Alexa called out. "Collar him!" A group of Plutarkian officers appeared out of thin air and grabbed Limburger."

"No!" Limburger cried. "I can't go to prison; I have too many enemies there!"

One of the officers mashed a button on a small device that he held in his hand. The officers and Limburger soon disappeared.

"Bye-bye." Karbunkle said as he waved goodbye where his former employer had stood only a few seconds earlier.


	19. Chapter 19

"Stop watching that trash!" Stoker snapped at several of the younger freedom fighters who were huddled around a TV at freedom fighters headquarters watching an intergalactic celebrity gossip show. Since Harley's death, Stoker had been in a foul mood, venting his anger whenever he could-at whomever he could.

One of the freedom fighters immediately grabbed the remote to shut the TV off but just before he could, the TV reporter said "…in other news, Lawrence Limburger, a Plutarkian industrialist currently based on the planet earth tonight finds himself in a jail cell. Limburger was arrested after evidence surfaced that he misappropriated funds allotted to him by the Plutarkian government. He is the second high-profile individual sent to prison by the Plutarkian government. Just a few days ago, Mace, the former leader of military operations on Plutark's Plutopia moon, was sent to prison for bribery, among other charges."

Stoker, who was walking out of the room where the freedom fighters were, froze when he heard about Limburger and Mace being put in jail. "Hold it, don't turn the TV off!" he shouted as he rushed back to the TV.

"Both Limburger and Mace, who both have been experiencing financial woes, could not raise enough money to post their extremely high bails," the reporter explained to TV viewers.

"I always knew drippy drawers would be the ruin of this family!" Limburger's sister, Latoya, informed the reporter who interviewed her about her brother's imprisonment. Latoya was in the middle of a book signing at a Plutarkian bookstore. She had written a book entitled Mummie Dearest, which was a tell-all account of her life growing up with her mother, the famous Plutarkian actress Joan Roquefort. Joan Roquefort was formerly known as Lucille Limburger. Latoya's book had been made into a campy movie best known for the line "no more wooden clothespins ever!"

"Do you plan to help your brother make his bail?" the reporter asked Latoya.

"Heck no, I spent all of my money at the fat farm," Latoya answered as she signed a book for one of her fans.

"So much for family solidarity," the reporter muttered when she thought her mike was off. "You're still on!" the cameraman whispered. "Oh," the reporter said in alarm as she cleared her throat. "Moving on, we will turn it over to our crew at the Plutarkian prison where Limburger and Mace are being held for a live interview."

The camera showed Limburger in his jail cell, weeping bitterly. He had been forced to share a cell with the Loogey brothers, whose stench was unbearable. The Loogeys were being held for failure to pay taxes on the prizes that they won for being declared "the scum of the universe." After showing Limburger, the camera zoomed in on Mace, who was located in the next cell.

"I refuse to say anything to anyone without my lawyer present," Mace told the reporter. He then slammed his fist against a wall. "Where is Provoloni when you need him? I called him hours ago!"

The reporter turned from Mace and faced the camera. "According to our sources, unbeknownst to his client, Plutarkian lawyer Perry Provoloni dropped Mace like a hot potato when he learned of the extent of the charges that he faced. He is now living in the lavish mansion on Plutopia II once owned by Mace. The mansion was a gift to Provoloni from one of his most famous clients, socialite and real estate maven Alexa Colby."

Upon hearing the name of his ex-wife, Limburger flew into a rage. "Alexa!" he yelled as he threw himself against the door of his cell. "Alexa, you'll pay for this! Mark my words Alexa, when I get out of here, you'll be sorry that you ever messed with the likes of me. As for that stupid sycophant Karbunkle, I'll terrorize him far worse than his first wife ever did. I will have my revenge!"

"You won't be the only one Limburger," Stoker said as he watched the TV, glaring at Mace. I made a promise on Harley's grave and I mean to honor it. Mace will pay dearly for the pain that he's caused."

Stoker and the other freedom fighters turned the TV off after the show went on to cover the story of "Elvis' Evil Alien Twin Brother's Attempts to Build Graceland on Black Rock Asteroid."

Carbine, Charley, Modo, Throttle, and Torque walked in the room immediately after the TV was turned off. The five of them had just returned from trying to find Vinnie, who had left Harley's funeral services soon after dropping the flare down the front of Greasepit's overalls.

They all knew something was wrong when they saw the enraged look on Stoker's face.

"What's going on here?" Carbine asked.

"I just saw Mace on tabloid TV, he's in jail on Plutark," Stoker said in a low, gravelly voice. "So is Limburger."

"It's about time," Modo thought out loud.

"What are they in for?" Throttle asked.

"Not for the reason they should be in jail-murder," Stoker said as he stormed out of the room.

"Out of my way punk," Stoker said as he brushed up against Vinnie as he walked by him. He was so angry that he did not notice that the missing Vinnie had returned. He also failed to notice that Vinnie was badly injured.

Stoker took a few steps past Vinnie before turning around and looking at Vinnie's bloodied figure. Stoker ran back to Vinnie.

"Vinnie, what happened to you?" Stoker asked.

Vinnie smiled weakly. "You know old timer, after Harley left us, I wanted to leave with her. I think I tried to get there too, when I tried to jump that cliff with my bike. I underestimated how high that cliff really was. My bike, she's okay, but I'm not, as you can see. I had enough strength to get back here on my bike, but that's about all. Vinnie then lost his footing and started to fall. Stoker caught him before he fell on the floor. He was quickly losing consciousness.

"Hang in there punk, we've already had enough tragedy," Stoker said as he carried Vinnie back to where the other freedom fighters were.

"I need some medics now!" Stoker yelled. Everyone turned to look at Stoker.

"Vinnie!" Charley screamed when she looked at Vinnie, who appeared to be near death.


	20. Chapter 20

"I can't believe Vincent was foolish enough to attempt such a dangerous stunt," Throttle fumed in Carbine's private quarters the morning after Vinnie returned to Freedom Fighters headquarters. Throttle, along with Carbine, Charley, Modo, Stoker, and Torque stayed at the infirmary all night, anxiously awaiting news of Vinnie's condition. Fortunately, Vinnie's injuries weren't as serious as first believed. He had several bruised ribs, a few sprains, and scrapes all over his body. He had regained consciousness and was now sleeping peacefully in the infirmary.

"He's in a lot of pain," Carbine said as she walked over to Throttle's from across the room. "Imagine how you would feel if it had been me instead of Harley."

Throttle smiled grimly. "I'd probably be in worse shape than Vinnie." He then hugged Carbine. "I hope I never have to go through what Vinnie's going through now," he told her softly.

"I hope we both never have to go through what Vinnie's going through," she said.

"General Carbine," a medic called from Carbine's vidcom. She reluctantly pulled from Throttle's embrace and went to her vidcom.

"Carbine here, what's going on?" she asked the medic. "Vinnie woke up and tried to escape from the infirmary," the medic informed her. "He began pulling off his bandages and he started to fight the medics who tried to stop him. We gave him a sedative and he's sleeping right now, but I don't know what's going to happen when he wakes up again."

"We'll be there as soon as we can. Carbine out," Carbine informed the medic. She then turned to face Throttle.

"Vinnie is not taking too kindly to his treatment, as you probably heard," she said.

Throttle nodded in the affirmative and the two left Carbine's quarters and headed for the infirmary.

"Oh Vinnie, why did you do this to yourself," Charley asked the sleeping Vinnie as she sat at his bedside. She was holding his hand.

"What did you say Harley?" Vinnie mumbled, half-asleep and half-awake.

Charley sighed in exasperation. "I don't have the heart to tell him that I'm not Harley and that Harley is…"

She was interrupted by Modo and Torque walking into the infirmary. They had just returned from eating breakfast.

"Charley-ma'am, I think that you should go eat and get some fresh air," Modo told Charley. "The two of us will look after Vinnie while you're gone."

Charley looked at the sleeping Vinnie, a smile on his face. Charley thought that he probably was dreaming of Harley.

"I don't want to leave him when he's in this condition," Charley said.

Torque smiled slyly. "So you do care about Vinnie after all," she said with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Well, someone has to make sure that the wrench head doesn't get himself killed," Charley said defensively.

"I think that's too big of a job for one person to handle alone Charley-ma'am," Modo said to her. "Like my dear old gray-furred Mama used to say, it takes a village to raise a child but it takes an army to keep Vinnie out of harm's way."

"Well then, in that case the cavalry has arrived," Throttle said as he and Carbine walked into the infirmary.

Modo walked over to Charley and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Go on Charley, we'll make sure nothing happens to him while you're gone," he said reassuringly.

"OK, you big lug I'll go," Charley said with a smile as she got up from Vinnie's bedside.

"Harley!" Vinnie cried when Charley let go of his hand. His eyes were still closed and he started to break out in a cold sweat. He soon started shaking uncontrollably.

"Harley, don't leave me!" Vinnie exclaimed.

Modo and Throttle rushed over to Vinnie's bedside and tried to wake him as Carbine, Charley, and Torque watched, their faces stricken.

"Vincent, wake up!" Throttle urged Vinnie.

"Harley!" Vinnie screamed.


	21. Chapter 21

Limburger and Mace both cringed at the sight of the putrid, half-rotted gruel served to them in the prison mess hall.

"My stomach is much too sensitive for such substandard sustenance," Limburger said as he toyed with the gruel on his plate while sitting at a dinner table with Mace and several other Plutarkian prisoners.

Mace, who was starving, tried to fork a mouthful of the supposedly edible gruel into his mouth. He gagged on the smell of it and quickly became nauseated. He tried to flee from the table to a nearby bathroom but the chains on his ankles tripped him. He fell to the floor. His fall shook the table which caused his plate of gruel, which was sitting precariously at the edge of the table, to fall on top of him.

"My, how the mighty have fallen," an amused Limburger said as he laughed at Mace.

"Speak for yourself Lawrence," Mace said as he attempted to get up off the floor. He tripped again as he was trying to get off the floor. He fell flat on his back, which resulted in uproarious laughter from Limburger and the other prisoners.

Mace winced in pain. To further add to his humiliation, a television camera crew shoved a camera in his face. Mace grimaced at the thought of his gruel-covered image being broadcast throughout the galaxy. He knew that no one would ever respect him again.

"Here's your check Mr. Limburger. Glad to do business with you," a television producer said to Limburger as he handed him a direct deposit pay stub.

Limburger became giddy with delight upon seeing the amount on the pay stub. He had struck a deal with television producers to do a reality show about his life behind bars. The cash-strapped Limburger was glad to embrace anyone or anything that would allow him to earn a profit.

"The pleasure is all mine dear chap," Limburger said pleasantly to the television producer.

The producer laughed. "No, really it's all mine. After that disastrous reality show with the Loogey Brothers, I was on thin ice in Plutarkwood. No one would greenlight any of my projects but I'm sure this show will be a winner. Everyone loves to watch a train wreck."

"Yes, Lawrence's whole life has been one big train wreck," Alexa said as she walked into the mess hall flanked by her two bodyguards.

"Alexa!" Limburger shouted as he lunged for his ex-wife. Like Mace, he tripped over his ankle chains and fell to the floor, right at Alexa's feet.

Alexa calmly walked over to the dinner table, where Limburger had left his pay stub. She picked it up and put it in her purse.

"No!" Limburger moaned in anguish as Alexa walked away with his pay stub.

"You never learn do you Lawrence?" Alexa chided Limburger. "You see, Bobby the producer here is a good friend of mine. When he told me that he was doing a reality show starring your sorry behind, I knew that you were trying to pull a fast one on me again. Trying to earn money without me knowing about it. Shame, shame shame," Alexa said as she wagged an accusing finger at Limburger. "Trying to keep your poor ex-wife from the money that is rightfully hers. I'm just going to take this pay stub to the judge so that I can get what is owed to me."

"However, you will still have to do the reality show because you signed a contract with Bobby. You'll be working for free, just think of it as an internship," Alexa told Limburger.

Alexa then waved her hand dismissingly at Limburger. She then air-kissed Bobby on both cheeks. "I hope you break the bank making this show about his pathetic life," Alexa told Bobby. "That way, we both win. Your career will be redeemed and I'll get plenty of money in royalty payments."

"Farewell criminals," Alexa said as she walked out of the mess hall. "I hope you enjoy making my next license plate."


	22. Chapter 22

The premiere of Limburger's reality show debuted with Limburger weeping as cameras recorded him sitting in his jail cell.

"Woe is me! Woe is me!" Limburger moaned.

"It's nice to know that Limburger feels as lousy as I do," Vinnie muttered as he watched the reality show from his bed. He had spent the past several days recovering from the delirium that he suffered in the aftermath of the injuries that he sustained in his motorcycle accident.

"It's too bad he doesn't feel any worse," Charley said as she fluffed Vinnie's pillow.

"You're right about that sweetheart," Vinnie agreed.

"Shut up you big baby!" Mace said as he threw his plate of uneaten and unidentified breakfast food at Limburger. The food hit Limburger squarely in the face, resulting in his sorrow turning into anger.

"You repulsive rodent, how dare you throw food in my face!" Limburger yelled as he charged at Mace. The two were now cellmates. Mace had been moved into Limburger's cell after the Loogeys were moved into solitary confinement due to their unbearable stench.

Limburger and Mace initiated a vicious fight that left the both of them bruised and bloodied. It took several guards to separate them. The reality show cameras never stopped rolling.

Vinnie turned the TV off after the cameras showed Limburger and Mace being dragged out of their jail cell by their feet by prison guards.

"How dare you treat me this way!" Limburger snarled at the guards. "Do you know who I am?!"

"Yeah, a washed-up crook that got his hands caught in the cookie jar," a guard said as he helped drag Limburger out of his cell.

Vinnie started pretending to cough. "Charley-girl, I'm feeling a little parched," he said between coughs. "Do you mind getting me a glass of water?"

Charley raised her eyebrow at Vinnie. She had been forewarned by Modo and Throttle that Vinnie might try to create a diversion in order to escape from the infirmary. It would only take a few minutes for an unsupervised Vinnie to take his motorcycle and flee, putting his life in danger.

"Whatever you say your highness," Charley said sarcastically as she walked out of the room. She only walked a short way down the hall, where she spoke into a small, handheld vidcom that she had.

"Guys," Charley said in a loud whisper to Modo and Throttle, who were involved in a discussion with Carbine, Stoker, and other freedom fighter leaders about the fate of the exiled Martians who were enslaved on Plutopia.

"What is it Charley?" Throttle asked.

"I think Vinnie's trying to escape. He asked me to go get him some water. When have you ever known Vinnie to ask for water? He only drinks root beer."

"We'll be right up there," Throttle replied.

Charley watched, hidden by the darkness of the hallway, as Vinnie ran from the infirmary to the closest exit. When he opened the door, he found Modo and Throttle in the doorway.

"Uh, hi guys," Vinnie said nervously to Modo and Throttle. "I was just going out to get some fresh air."

"Sure you were," an unconvinced Modo said to Vinnie. Modo grabbed Vinnie by the bandoleers and dumped him back on his bed in the infirmary.

"Since you don't seem to want to stay put Vincent, we're going to put you under 24 hour armed guard," Throttle said to Vinnie as two armed freedom fighters entered the infirmary.

"Now if you will excuse us, we have other business to attend to," Throttle said as he and Modo left to return to the meeting.

Charley returned to the infirmary to find Vinnie sulking like a spoiled child who was denied a favorite dessert at dinner.

"They only did that because they care about you," Charley told Vinnie.

"Yeah, the both of them still have the women that they love," Vinnie said bitterly. "It's easy for them to stay under control."

Charley sat down in the chair next to Vinnie's bed and grabbed his hand. "You'll get through this Vinnie. I know you will. It won't be easy, but things will get better."

The two of them looked out of the large window in the room. The window had a view of the Garden of Hope. In the center, a simple stone covered Harley's grave. Inscribed on the stone were the words.

Harley

Freedom Fighter

Lost to us once

She will never leave us again.


End file.
